For psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, the impact of losing a patient to suicide is not just a professional matter; it is also personal. The pain can be so profound that it can produce symptoms of stress comparable to the shock felt by those who lose a family member.

When his heart’s mitral valve wouldn’t close properly, Carthage resident Lucious Thomas was left weak, breathless and sometimes unable to make it to his job as a food inspector. The valve often is repaired through open heart surgery, but a minimally invasive procedure offered at UMMC can get patients home the very next day.